Not a big fan of bats
by LinzPhantom
Summary: What could have happened when Ryan and Esposito ditched Castle in the casino during 'Heartbreak Hotel'. AU tag to 4x8, Heartbreak Hotel. Spoilers for 3x16. Castle!Whump. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Of bats and blood

**Second Castle fanfic :D This is gonna be two chapters, hope people read and review!**

_Yeesh. Talk about friends 'til the end_, Richard Castle thought bitterly as Detectives Ryan and Esposito, all decked out in Elvis attire (which had been his brilliant idea, thank you very much) stammered and made excuses to leave the media room. For a moment, he felt a tinge of pride; the two big bad cops were fleeing while he, the civilian, who, according to a certain captain that shall remain nameless, was just a joke and a distraction to the police force, stayed to face the music. That feeling only lasted a second though, as he abruptly realized that he was screwed.

Most of the time he relished in the fact that he was taller than all three of the homicide detectives that he worked with, but at the present moment in time, he'd have been okay with being shorter than Ryan, even, as the two muscular bodyguards blocked his escape. Castle watched wistfully at Ryan and Esposito, already down the hallway, not even looking back to see if their friend was following.

Well, that didn't matter. It's not like they would actually hurt him. He chuckled at the very thought. He could easily talk his way out of this, in any case. He'd done it before...actually, he hadn't really realized how often he got himself into precarious situations until now. Hmm. Before he could open his mouth, however, muscle 1 and 2 had grabbed his arms and begun forcefully dragging him through the door and down the hallway.

Okay, they may have been the same height as himself, but their strength still surprised him. Hands clamped like manacles under his arms and despite how much he struggled, he couldn't break free. Castle dug in his heels, hoping to halt their progress towards the ominous looking door at the end of the hallway.

He was reminded of a very similar experience; whilst searching for a dirty bomb that had the potential to destroy most of New York City, Kate and him had been searching a storage unit and had been exposed to high levels of radiation. He'd been 'escorted' to a room, much like this time. Except, that time, he'd had Beckett for company. Now he had...no one. The same surge of fear that he'd felt during that brief time was back again, building in the pit of his stomach.

His attempts at slowing the men down were being proven to be fruitless, so he went boneless instead, letting his whole body weight hang limply in their arms. If it affected them, they didn't show it, not by the expressions on the face or the gait at which they were moving. He really wished that he was out of his Elvis costume now. He felt stupid as the door was pushed open and the men shoved him inside, nearly causing him to fall. Fixing his wig, he was going to shoot a glare back at them, but his eyes were caught on the object that Turner was holding. Oh crap.

Didn't mean anything. He probably just liked baseball and was practicing his swings for the next time at the batting cages. _Or practicing his swing for the next person he decides is in his way, _he thought morbidly. Yep. Castle swallowed nervously, not able to tear his gaze from the heavy piece of wood.

"You were told what would happen if you came back here. Now, I'm not stupid enough to beat on cops, but you on the other hand, are a different story. I want my money, Mr. Castle, so you better tell me everything you know."

Turner said, his eyes narrowed menacingly. The feeling in the pit of Castle's stomach grew as the bat almost touched his chest. This was not good._ Okay brain, this would be a good time to unfreeze and starting talking me out of this situation_, Castle pleaded inside his head. He glanced back at the two body guards that stood by the door. This wasn't really happening, right? No way this could be real. Castle turned back to Turner, just in time to see the baseball bat coming straight for his face. Before he could do anything, like dodge or duck, it made contact with his head.

"Ahhhhhgggggggggghhh!"

He cried out as his head snapped back from the force and he fell to his knees. _Fuck_, that hurt. He didn't swear very often, but right now, he wanted to yell out all of the curse words he knew. Immediately, he could feel his left eye swelling up and a constant and painful throb started in his head. _At least I've still got all my teeth_, he thought sarcastically, running his tongue across them. A sudden copper taste entered his mouth and he grimaced, realizing that his nose had started bleeding. Pain was radiating from his entire face.

Castle groaned in pain and clutched his nose. Okay, no, that was a bad idea, he thought belatedly as a shock of pain shot through his skull.

"Urggg..." He moaned, content on not touching anything on his face for the moment. He looked up through his one eye that wasn't swollen at Turner. No...wait, there were two Turners now. Concussion, great.

"Look, theress no need f'that. I'm sure we can work thi' out like gen'lem-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as all the breath suddenly left his body as the bat (he was having a hard time even remembering why these things were even created) struck him in the midsection. He was already on his knees, so it was a short trip to the carpet, where he wrapped an arm around around his ribs and forced the prickling in his eyes back. He was not going to cry over a couple of love taps. It hadn't even hurt that much. He'd felt more pain when he'd fallen out of that tree when he was ten and broken his arm. Castle rolled over and peered up at Turner again. He looked out of breath. _Poor guy_, Castle thought sarcastically. The bat came down again, this time on his right arm, which was still trying to keep his ribs in check. His mouth opened wide as a crack echoed throughout the room, not able to voice the pain that was clouding his mind. He wheezed, thinking ironically on the subject he'd just been comparing this too. _Now_ it hurt as bad as the time he'd broken his arm. Something struck his ribs again, but it wasn't the bat...the bat that was idle by Turner's side, speckled with blood. His blood. Castle shuddered at the thought. Ah, that would be his expensive shoes that were making him want to puke his guts out. So nice. This meant that either Turner was winding down, or he was just getting started. Everything was jumbled in Castle's head. He heard a crack, but he wasn't sure where it came from. He really wished Beckett were here right now, and not just because she had a gun and a badge.

The foot came back down, this time on his neck, pushing the air out of his battered body. His arm quickly came up to his neck and grasped the ankle, desperate to free himself. He was not dying this way. He'd always imagined himself going out in a hail of bullets or something equally as dramatic, like his book characters.

Castle wasn't sure if it was the concussion or the lack of air, but he wasn't able to budge the expensive rubber and Italian leather that was currently making him see spots. He heard something slam dimly in the background and then Beckett's voice. That made him smile contentedly. He had it bad. His consciousness was slipping away, but at least he got to hear Kate's voice before he went. Wait...no, she sounded angry. _Really_ angry. He'd heard that voice a couple of times directed at him, but most of the time at uncooperative suspects. Other voices had joined Kate's, he realized, and they were all so loud. He wanted to tell them to be quiet, because this was not making his headache feel better, but he couldn't really remember how to form words. Wait. He could breath. Okay, no, that was an exaggeration. He could cough and wheeze. And that's what he did. Gaping like a fish out of water, Castle curled in on himself. Coughing did not help the pain. It took him awhile to start breathing semi-regularly again and when he did, he realized that someone was talking to him, calling his name, a thin delicate hand resting comfortingly on his shoulder. Kate. He slowly straightened himself out. If Kate was there, he was dead or safe. He hoped he was still alive, he still had he wanted to see and do. See Alexis get married...finish the Nikki Heat series...kiss Kate again...

Right, Kate was still talking to him.

"Rick, Rick! Castle, are you okay?"

She inquired, her voice quiet but urgent. He blinked his one good eye and peered over her shoulder, where he spied two very blurry detectives cuffing Turner and his bodyguards. Well, he was still alive, then. He was pretty sure that if he were dead, he'd have been somewhere on a beach with Kate.

How did Kate do it? Even when she was out of focus, she was still breathtakingly beautiful. He grinned, dazed. He was positive that he looked horrible right now, but he was just happy that she was here.

"Hey."

He croaked, wincing at the pain that flashed through his face and throat as he did so. His voice was the opposite of the strong, deep baritone that it usually was (at least, in his opinion); instead, it came out as a breathy whisper. At his flinch, Beckett's eyes began roaming his face and throat, cataloging his injuries. When her eyes rested on his neck, he knew that someone was getting punched. Her gorgeous face clouded with anger and her head swung around sharply, her hair flowing and the wonderful scent of cherries wafting over Castle's face. She wasn't mad at him, right? He didn't think he'd done anything wrong. His brain was too jumbled to be too sure of that, though. He was sure that he still looked stupid in his Elvis costume. Her shoulders were so tense and he could feel her fury. He came to the conclusion that it wasn't him that she was angry at, since she wasn't directing her death glare at him for once. It was a nice change of pace.

"The paramedics will be here in a minute, Castle. Don't worry, you're going to be fine."

He could hear the underlying panic that was in her voice and wished he could comfort her in some way. But then what she had said clicked in his brain. Paramedics? No thank you. He was just fine. He sat up slowly, only using his left arm, preparing himself for the arduous journey ahead. His right arm hung limply at his side, agonizing pain still blurring his vision; he didn't even want to look at the damage.

"No, that's 'kay, m'fine. Can'ou juss...can'ou help me get up?"

He asked, not waiting for her response (which he was sure would have been no) and planting his one good hand on the ground. He managed to get to his knees and stopped for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside. He took a deep breath, his chest hurting just from that simple action. Alright, now he wasn't feeling alright. Suddenly he couldn't breath again. Not good. He started listing to the side before someone halted his progress. Castle didn't get a chance to thank whoever it was, as his vision quickly darkened and he was out.


	2. I'm falling for you

"What?! How could you guys get kicked out?"

Kate Beckett asked in disbelief, finding it strange that the three members of her team, two being homicide detectives like herself, were unable to find out more information in a casino, of all places.

"Turns out Charlie's version of full cooperation isn't all that full."

Ryan's voice answered her, the exasperation clear in his tone. She didn't blame him.

"The only reason he kicked us out is because he's behind the whole thing."

Esposito's deeper voice betrayed his annoyance a little more than Ryan's. Beckett was waiting to hear Castle chime in, since he had been quiet up until then. It was unusual for the writer to not be spouting off insane conspiracy theories that often turned out to be close to the truth.

"Yah, but kidnap somebody right in front of his casino? That's a bit bold. If he knew it was her, why would he wait? Why didn't he just grab her in the casino while she was on shift?"

Kate reasoned, perched on her desk at the precinct, trying to piece together the case. So far, everything was jumbled, and the news that the guys had been kicked out of the casino before learning anymore details about why this girl was murdered really didn't help lift Beckett's spirits.

"Yah, I mean, he did seem genuinely surprised when we told him it was Nadine, maybe he didn't know."

There he was. An involuntary smile crossed Kate's face when she heard Castle's voice, deepest of them all. She quickly wiped the expression off her face, in case someone was watching. There wasn't anything amusing about this case.

"Yah, but he's the only one with motive."

"No, not necessarily, what if someone else knew what Nadine did and wanted the money?"

"How would they find out?"

Beckett let the boys toss ideas back and forth between them before she decided to lend them a little hand.

"Maybe Nadine told them. I mean, that would explain the phone records."

She said, reaching behind her to grab the printed paper that contained all of Nadine's recent calls from her cell phone.

"How so?

"Listen, I pulled her phone history, she called a number inside the casino immediately before and after making that transfer at 9:47. I tracked down the extensive to, uh, a Daniel Sullivan."

Kate said, reading off the paper, hoping that the name would sound familar to one of them.

"Daniel. That's Charlie's security guy."

Ryan said, an excited note back in his voice. Another break in the case, this was good.

"Uh, that would explain how Nadine got a hold of Sam's passwords, Daniel is her partner. He's got eyes and ears all over that casino."

"Alright, see what he knows."

She told them all, preparing to hang up her phone and get back to solving the case from her end.

"We can't. He's inside the casino and their security won't let us back in."

Beckett felt a tinge of anger. They were working on a murder investigation and some big shot just decided that they weren't allowed to question people to find the culprit? However, she knew that it was completely allowed, so she paused, glancing behind her to see if Gates had somehow crept up to her without her noticing and was listening in on her conversation.

"Okay, sit tight. I'm driving down."

She said, secretly pleased that she got to go be with Castl- uh, her team. Not that she didn't understand why the captain had ordered her to stay behind on this one, but the precinct seemed lonely without Ryan and Esposito at their desks, talking on their phones, and Castle sitting in the chair by her desk, that eager look on his face that he got whenever she admitted that maybe he wasn't that far off.

"No, no, Beckett, no, you don't have to do tha-"

She hung up on the boy's loud protests, a small smirk forming on her face. She cleared her throat and slid off the desk, heading towards Gates's office. Now, how would she approach this?

Beckett made sure not to pause before she knocked on the captain's door; it wasn't like she was afraid of the older woman, like most of the people in the station were. She waited until she heard the 'come in' and did just that.

Captain Gates looked away from her computer and down her nose at Kate, her reading glasses perched on her nose like they usually were.

"Yes, Detective? Is there a break in the case?"

She asked, confused as to why Beckett would be in her office if there wasn't anything new.

"It's possible, sir. Ryan, Esposito and Castle..."

She trailed off as gates's frowned deepened at the writer turned consultants name, as if she was somewhat offended that he had been included in her explanation. He isn't a cop. He isn't helpful. He is a distraction. Kate had heard it before. Her eyes hardened in response in she spoke more forcefully.

"...found a potential suspect that the victim had been contacting whilst making the transfers. There isn't much left to do here, so I thought I might go join them to get this case closed as soon as possible. With your permission, sir."

Kate finished, her eyes never leaving those of Captain Madeline Gates, who had begun studying her lead detective more intently, as if she were trying to find a secret meaning behind the woman's request. She apparently found none, for she gestured with her hand that she could go and looked down at her computer once more. Kate, knowing that she had been dismissed, quickly left the office and grabbed her coat from her chair. Only then did she let the small smile blossom on her face.

Atlantic City, here I come.

Beckett made it to Atlantic City in record time, the window rolled down, a cool breeze blowing on her face. She couldn't help it; she felt exhilarated right now. She was out from under the watchful eye of gates and the rest of the precinct, some of whom had been treating her like she might break at any moment since she had gotten shot. She just wanted to spend some time with her team. And if it had to be at a casino, interrogating a suspect, well, so be it. She could cope.

Seagal's casino was big, bright and bold, like most casinos. She had had to type the address into her car gps, but thanks to the soothing voice of 'Rick' (and no, it was just a coincidence that the name of the voice on her gps she chose was that. And no, she would not be telling Castle of this fact anytime soon), she didn't get lost once.

She parked her car in the crowded lot and glanced quickly in the mirror, just making sure she looked alright. Not that she was trying to impress anyone or anything like that...just, to make sure her makeup wasn't smudged or her hair wasn't out of the tight ponytail she had pulled it back in. SHe exited her car and locked it, then proceeded to the front of the casino, searching for the boys. Well, she saw two of them, but she definitely wasn't expecting the outfits they were in. Beckett bit her cheek, trying hard not to burst out laughing as Ryan and Esposito attempted to explain, pulling off their sunglasses as they did so.

"Oh. Um. Funny story?"

"We, uh...this is...we can explain..."

Okay, this was getting challenging. They looked ridiculous. Not that they didn't look bad as Elvis impersonators, but not seeing them in suits -or in Espo's case, a short sleeved shirt- was strange. Ryan, as usual, looked like the sweeter, quieter Elvis while Esposito was working the Spanish Elvis.

Beckett decided to stop their stuttered, embarrassed speech.

"No, I'm not even sure I want to know."

She said, a grin tugging at her lips, but the exasperated and slight disappointed tone still in her voice, for show. Why did she get the feeling this was all Castle's plan?

"...it was Castle's idea."

Ah ha, that would be why. It was just so...Castle. Dress up as Elvis impersonators to get back into the casino? Priceless. And she wasn't even surprised. When she had gotten into her car to head for Atlantic City, there had been thought in the back of her head, trying to get noticed, that Castle wouldn't stay put like she had told them, he'd come up with some crazy scheme. Kate glanced around, looking for the lead Elvis himself, eager to know what he looked like in the outfits that Esposito and Ryan were currently wearing. But the tall writer wasn't anywhere in sight and she looked back at her detectives, eyebrows raised and a little hint of concern in her eyes.

"Where is Castle, anyway?"

She asked, half expecting him to jump out at any moment with a goofy grin on her face. Her worry increased when Esposito and Ryan both glanced around as if this was the first time they realized that he wasn't with them. When the searching became frantic, Kate took a step forward, all signs of mirth completely gone from her face. The detectives looked back at Beckett, the guilt clear on their faces.

"Uh...well, I thought he was with us. We were talking to Daniel Sullivan, you know, the guy Nadine was calling..."

Ryan said, his eyebrows creased together in confusion. Esposito picked up where he left off.

"Yah, and then some security guys showed up and we got out of there. Castle..."

He trailed off, making eye contact with Ryan, realization suddenly shining in their eyes. Beckett frowned, taking another step forward, not wanting to be left out of this conversation. She cleared her throat to get their attention back. Esposito turned to her again, the guilt now fighting with another emotion; fear. For Castle?

"We didn't really check to see if he was following us...I guess the security guys got him...and they probably brought him to Turner..."

That was all Kate needed. Her consultant, her shadow, hell, her friend was inside there with a could-be murder. Who knows what could have been happening while they were standing outside, taking in the scenery. She clenched her jaw in frustration, not exactly sure who she was mad at. Castle, for this plan; Esposito and Ryan, for not checking to see if the un-armed, un-trained consultant had been following; or Turner, is he had so much as touched a hair on Castle's head. She realized how much she cared that he was alright, and reasoned with herself that it was just because it was her job. Plus, Alexis and Martha would be distraught if anything happened to Rick. Nothing more than that, it was normal to be worried.

The security guards that the detectives had mentioned on the phone that wouldn't let them into the casino, with the stereotypical suits and sunglasses. Kate didn't even hesitate, she just stalked towards them, her badge already out and shoved in their faces.

"Move out of the way, my consultant is in there with a murder suspect."

She said, her forceful tone brokering no room for an argument. The security guards apparently had some brains, as they parted to let the detective through. Even Ryan and Esposito, having finally understood the severity of the matter and had quickly caught up to Beckett, straightened up at the sound of her voice. When Beckett used that voice, you know you'd better listen or you're going to get your ass kicked. Of course, the way that Beckett was feeling at the moment, she wouldn't mind taking her frustrations out of someone. Not at the moment, though. She wouldn't be able to relax until she saw Castle standing in front of her, that stupid grin on his face and that sparkle in his eyes that told her that he knew how worried she had been about him. It was a thing that she would usually say annoyed her, but she would give anything for that right now.

She was really hoping that her gut feeling was wrong and it turned out that Castle had already left Turner's office and just gone roaming around the casino. If that was the truth, then she would be punching him, hard.

Beckett slowed down just a little bit when she realized that she didn't know the way to the manager's office, but she was quickly overtaken by Esposito, who had quickly realized her predicament. There were no words spoken by the trio, but from years of working together, speech wasn't necessary to communicate what they were thinking.

The trip to the office took longer than Beckett liked and by the time they got there, she was on the verge of panicking. And that panic bubbled over when the three heard a sound from inside the office; a pained cry from a man they had all gotten to know pretty well the past few years. Beckett didn't even check to see if the door was locked or not, she just lifted her foot and kicked the door open, pulling out her gun as she did so.

Once the door was open, the homicide detectives were met with a graphic scene. Richard Castle, their friend and colleague, lay on the ground, one arm wrapped around his midsection, his face a bloody mess. And there was Charles Turner, his foot pressed down on Castle's neck, blocking any air from entering his lungs, a mad look in his eye. It already looked like Castle was fading, so Beckett wasted no time in raising her weapon, clicking the safety off and announcing their presence.

"NYPD, FREEZE! UP AGAINST THE WALL, NOW."

She roared, carefully levelling her weapon at Turner, her finger just itching to pull the trigger the longer he took to comply to her wishes. He did eventually, though, and Beckett stalked over to him, perhaps pulling his arms behind his back a little rougher than usual and slapping the cuffs tight on his wrists. She let go of him in disgust and glanced at Esposito and Ryan, who had apprehended the two henchmen that were in the room as well. She shared a look with them and got two nods in response. She left Turner in their capable hands and nearly sprinted to the fallen man's side, who, she realized, how begun coughing violently when Turner had removed his foot from his neck.

"Castle?"

She called, alarmed when he didn't answer. Was he unconscious? That was not good. Her hands hovered over Castle, not wanting to hurt him unintentionally, before resting on a part of his broad shoulder that seemed alright.

"Rick, Rick. Castle, are you okay?"

She asked, keeping her voice low, knowing it was a stupid question even as she said it. At least there are no wounds that require immediate attention, Beckett thought as Castle turned his head and smiled at her weakly.

"Hey."

He breathed, barely sounding like himself, his voice clearly affected by the strangulation he had just experienced. A flinch went along with the word, which only served to make Beckett angrier. Her eyes wandered across his face, taking in all the blood, most of which came from the nose that was obviously broken. At last, she focused on his neck, which was red with shoe marks on it. Her lip curled in fury and she swung around, hair whipping behind her, to glare murderously at Turner. Whatever Castle had done, it didn't even begin to warrant this beating that he recieved.

Beckett took out her cell phone and quickly dialed 911, asking for backup and then paramedics. She catalogued Castle's injuries in a hurry before hanging up, noticing how the consultant seemed close to passing out now. He kept blinking his one good eye slowly, his gaze getting more glazed each time. She was pretty surprised that he'd managed to stay conscious up to this point, really. It wasn't until now that Beckett noticed what Rick was wearing; an Elvis costume, like she had been expecting, but covered in blood. His own blood. She cringed and then shook herself. She saw blood all day long, no reason why this should be any different. Except this time, it's not just an unknown victim, she contradicted herself, it's Castle. Her eyes fell back on his battered face and she bit her lip a tiny bit.

"The paramedics will be here in a minute, Castle. Don't worry, you're going to be fine."

She soothed, not sure whom she was comforting; Castle or herself. It didn't matter who it was directed at, it sounded incredibly weak in her mind. She didn't even think Castle heard her, though; he just kept gazing at her with that stupid grin on his face. That is, until his expression suddenly changed from the content, dream-like face to someone who was obviously trying to convince someone else that they were fine. Well, if he even though that he was getting out of an ambulance ride to the hospital, he had another thing coming, Beckett thought with a smirk.

"No, that's 'kay, m'fine. Can'ou juss...can'ou help me get up?"

It was far from his usual articulate prose, but she supposed he could be forgiven this one time. Before Beckett could answer him with a resounding "no", Castle had propped himself up on one elbow, his expression pained. In her anger, she hadn't even noticed his right arm, which hung limply by his side. As she was about to begin berating him for trying to get up when he was seriously injured, he reached his knees, his chest heaving with the strain. His teeth were biting his lip a little too hard and Beckett was sure it was going to start bleeding soon. He had just started rising to his feet and Beckett was getting up as well, knowing that she couldn't stop him without using physical force, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. At least she could make sure he got up alright.

Not a lot seemed to be going her way today, as Castle froze, the rest of the color (and there wasn't a lot left) draining from his skin. The room was silent for a moment; Beckett was in a state of shock, Esposito and Ryan had froze, their eyes directed on the still consultant. Even the men under arrest weren't moving.

Castle started falling and the room unfroze. Kate snapped out of her daze and lunged to catch him, knowing that contact with the ground would make his injuries worse than they were. She wasn't prepared for the dead weight that fell on her, her knees buckled and she fell, managing to keep Castle's body from making contact with the floor. She lay his head in her lap, a hand taking the wig off his head. She could clearly see the wound now and winced in sympathy, gently smoothing the untouched part of his hair. She glanced up at Esposito and Ryan and shared a relieved look with them. That could have been much worse. It wasn't until then that Kate, having her hand pressed to Castle's chest to lean him back on her, felt the uneven rise and fall of his breathing. For a moment, the chest stopped moving and Kate's did as well. The next breath came, a little strained, but it was there.

"Castle, you need to wake up. Castle! Wake up!"

She demanded, her voice rising with her fear as his eyes remained closed. Judging by the breathing pattern, Beckett guessed that one of his ribs had been broken and moved when he had stood up. She really hoped it hadn't punctured a lung. Just then, the greatest sound reached her ears; sirens. She closed her eyes, thanking whomever was listening. She opened her mouth to tell either Ryan or Esposito to go direct them here, but Ryan had already gone to do just that.

Everything would be fine. She hoped.


End file.
